Remote sensing applications on a

marine park or land park

-a scientific perspective

Prof. Zulfigar Yasin

Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies
Universiti Sains Malaysia
 Spectral Resolution: ETM+
0. 0. 1. 3.
4 7 3 0

Visible Near-IR Mid-IR Thermal-IR

Wavelength (µm)
Pan 8
(15 m)

Multi
1 2 3 4 5 7
(30 m)

Thermal
6
(60 m)
Onboard Landsat-6*, -7
 N Straits of Chinchin
Pulau
Teluk Datai Langgun
Machinchang

Pulau
Langkawi
Pulau
Timun
Pulau Rebak Kuah

Straits of Malacca Pulau

Pulau Beras Tuba Thailand
Basah
Pulau
Pulau Dayang Langkawi
Scale
Pulau Bunting Peninsular
Pulau
Singa Pinang Malaysia
0 5 10 km
"Pulau" = Island

The Study Area:Pulau

TelukLangkawi,
Datai, Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia
Malaysia
Straits of Malacca
 TERRESTRIAL RESOURCES
1989 41.8% 2000
33.9%

23.6%

0.1% 0.1%
1.0% 0.8%
3.0%
23.9% 5.2%

5.6%
5.5%
7.4%
5.8% 14.2%
8.9% 7.8% 11.4%

Landuse/cover class

Primary Forest Mangrove Sandy Area Belukar Grassland

Cultivated Land Urban Area Baresoil Water Body

Composition of classified landuse/cover of north Langkawi in 1989 and 2000

 Species number

Species Number
Th

16
18

0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
20
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Coral Family

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Island Biogeography Theory [IBT]
Robert MacArthur and E.O. Wilson (1963, 1967)
Tan ju ng Rh u, P ula u Lan gkawi
 North

LANGKAWI
ISLANDS Kuala Kedah
PAYAR ISLANDS
Existing Coastal
ALOR
SETAR Habitats

SONGSONG
STRAITS OF ISLANDS
Merbok
MALACCA MukaHead
Marine Research
Station USM
Kota Kuala
Muda

HABITAT CLASSES PENANG Georgetown Butterworth

Permanent shallow marine Intertidal mudflats
waters (5 m depth contour)

Mangrove Reclaimed land

Coral reefs Rocky shore

Seagrass bed Sandy shore

Manmade island
Scale 1:80 000
Summary of water quality profile for Tanjung Rhu, Langkawi.
STANDARD B
MAJOR GROUP PARAMETERS Ambient value
(DOE)
D.O. (mg/L) NA 2.8

Temperature (oC) 40.0 26.5

Salinity (ppt) NA 0.0

Biological
parameter Turbidity (FTU) < 100 66

pH 6.0 - 9.0 8.32

TSS (mg/L) < 100 57.19 + 16.75

STANDARD B
MAJOR GROUP PARAMETERS RESULTS
(DOE)

Total coliform
(CFU/100 ml)
NA 1,319

Biological
parameter Faecal coliform
(CFU/100 ml)
<1 390

Note :NA - Not Applicable ND - Not Detectable

Summary of water quality profile for Tanjung Rhu, Langkawi.
STANDARD B
MAJOR GROUP PARAMETERS RESULTS
(DOE)
BOD (mg/L) < 50 2.2
COD (mg/L) < 100 0
Ammoniacal NA 0.03
nitrogen (mg/L)
Nitrate (mg/L) 10 0.12
Phosphate (mg/L) 6 0.03
Copper (ppb) 200 0.3
Chemical Chromium (ppb) 200 ND
parameter
Lead (ppb) 100 0.1
Zinc (ppb) 1000 0.1
Iron (ppb) 1000 21
Mercury (ppb) 5 ND
Cadmium (ppb) 10 ND
Oil & grease (mg/L) < 10 ND

Note :NA - Not Applicable ND - Not Detectable

 Why conserve wetlands?

More and more economists and other scientists are

working in the field of the valuation of ecosystem
services. This is a difficult task, still full of
uncertainties, but there is no other choice than to
progress in this direction. Some recent studies have
indicated that ecosystems provide at least US$ 33
trillion worth of services annually, of which US$ 4.9
trillion are attributed to wetlands.
Holistic Ecotourism in Tanjung Rhu
Biological
Geological
Cultural
Temporal interest
Historical
Archaeological
Tan ju ng Rh u, P ulau Lan gkawi
Tan ju ng Rh u, P ulau Lan gkawi
 What is the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands?
The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental
treaty adopted on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of
Ramsar

Popularly known as the "Ramsar Convention"

The official name of the treaty – The Convention on

Wetlands of International Importance especially as
Waterfowl Habitat
 Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type
Marine/Coastal Wetlands (all are found at Tanjung Rhu)

A -- Permanent shallow marine waters in most cases less than six metres deep at low tide;
includes sea bays and straits.
B -- Marine subtidal aquatic beds; includes kelp beds, sea-grass beds, tropical marine meadows.
C -- Coral reefs.
D -- Rocky marine shores; includes rocky offshore islands, sea cliffs.
E -- Sand, shingle or pebble shores; includes sand bars, spits and sandy islets; includes dune
systems and humid dune slacks.
F -- Estuarine waters; permanent water of estuaries and estuarine systems of deltas.
G -- Intertidal mud, sand or salt flats.
H -- Intertidal marshes; includes salt marshes, salt meadows, saltings, raised salt marshes;
includes tidal brackish and freshwater marshes.
I -- Intertidal forested wetlands; includes mangrove swamps, nipah swamps and tidal freshwater
swamp forests.
J -- Coastal brackish/saline lagoons; brackish to saline lagoons with at least one relatively
narrow connection to the sea.
K -- Coastal freshwater lagoons; includes freshwater delta lagoons.
Zk(a) – Karst and other subterranean hydrological systems, marine/coastal
 Malaysian Ramsar sites
• Tasik Bera, Pahang was designated as a Ramsar site, or Wetland of
International Importance, in 1994. The wetland consists of a complex
range of habitats including freshwater and peat swamp forests (79%),
transitional open-forested swamps (7%), Pandanus helicopus swamps and
Lepironia articulata reedbeds (12%) as well as open water (2%) with a
highly diverse algal community and beds of submerged macrophytes.

• Tanjung Piai, Johor is significant as the southern most point of

continental Asia. Large numbers of migratory birds often frequent this
area, as the intertidal mudflats are haven for food such as crabs, shrimps,
worms and juvenile fishes.

• Pulau Kukup, Johor is important as a good example of uninhabited

mangrove forest and refuge for migratory birds and the globally
threatened Lesser Adjutant Stork. The mangrove on Pulau Kukup is one
of the tallest tidal forests on the southwest coast; as tall as 30 metres.

• Sungai Pulai, Johor possesses some interesting ecological features as the

largest remaining intact riverine mangrove area in Peninsular Malaysia.
Continue…

What is the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands?

The Convention entered into force in 1975

and as of September 2003 has 138
Contracting Parties. More than 1310
wetlands have been designated for inclusion
in the List of Wetlands of International
Importance, covering some 111 million
hectares (1.11 million km2), more than the
surface area of France, Germany, and
Switzerland combined.
Smart tourism
Key Elements to Practitioners
Education
Training
Research
Believing in what you preach
Assessment
Innovation
Community involvement